The Night Sky

 The sky, of course, has served as inspiration for so many things.  The night, too.  What can you really see when you take the time to look up?

It’s a fascinating subject to write about the moon, the stars, the sky, the night, and see what you come up with when you do.  If you’re using the sky in a poem or story, how do you use it?  

It stands to reason the sky does look different depending on the weather and your location.  Time, would play a factor, too.

The night sky is a constant and sometimes that’s needed in a work as well.  These are my pictures from last night.  There was a full moon!  It was definitely a glorious sight.  

When Poetry becomes Art

I was honored to have my poem selected recently as part of an outdoor art installation entitled “Of Earth and Sky.”  It’s currently on display outdoors in Charlotte, NC.  The art project used parts of each poet’s poem in the art.  My part of my poem is at Marshall park in downtown.  It’s white letters on stakes.  Another piece of a poem by another poet is nearby and it’s painted in the grass.  This park is idyllic with it’s reflecting pools, fountain, and curvy walkways amongst the trees.  It’s quite busy.  The day I was there, a model was being photographed, a wedding party arrived in a stretch limo, and there was a group having a picnic.  Plus, there were people exercising and/or walking their dogs.  It’s a popular place!

How different it is to see your words larger than life and outside in a park!  It completely changes one’s perspective on reading and/or viewing the poem.  It’s one thing to read a poem in a book, online or on paper.  It’s quite another to see it on display like an advertisement billboard.

My favorite poet Ted Kooser participated in an E-book of pictures of an artist with Kooser writing poems to go with.  It was really quite inventive.  At the end of the book Mr. Kooser and the artist had videos explaining their creative processes.  

All the arts, in my opinion, go together and complement each other.  I know I learned a great deal about writing dialogue in grad school for Theatre/Communications/Speech. 

A few years ago, I also participated in an art showing of paintings and photos with poems to go with.  That was an interesting experience for me to write a poem to go along with the art.  At my local Arts Council, an exhibit just finished and some of the photos used words as part of the art if not the entire piece.

I love to read words and learn new words!  To me, words are Art.  What kind of art will you create today?

Organic Writing

Organic.  It’s a word that’s tossed about a lot!  But what is it, when it’s applied to your writing?

I know I write that way.  I don’t tend to plot out in detailed outlines, or paste sticky notes all over the wall to work out my stories, books, or poems.  I like to get the idea, and piece it together as I go along.

You might think, well how does that work out for you very well?  It does mean I might begin to write pages, or verses and then have to go back and review to make sure it all goes together.  I like to edit as I write as well - a big no-no for most writers, but it’s the way I’m used to writing and how I’ve been doing it since middle school aka junior high.  

I do take notes when I write.  A lot of times I doodle!  I do imagine where my characters are, what they are doing.  And,  I do sketch out general ideas, and a few plot points here and there depending on what kind of story I’m writing.  I like to let ideas sift and gel in my head, too, and then get them down on paper.  I have some very strange voice memos in my phone, if you know what I mean.

To me, writing organically means that it’s all fresh.  It’s real.  Oftentimes, I will observe or overhear something I need for my poems or stories and I use it.  Once in a while, if I get stuck a lot of times someone tells me a story or I read something that makes me figure out where I need to go next with my work.

I believe that organic writing gives you that sense of real that makes a story or poem memorable, readable, relatable, and more.  So how do you like to write?